At about 5:30 am this morning, my colleagues and I (and my dog, Josie!) packed up our things and left the Echoing Green offices after a marathon all-nighter during which we had the difficult task of winnowing down the ninety-nine top-ranked applications to the twenty-three finalist organizations we’ll invite to the 2009 Echoing Green Fellowship selection weekend at the beginning of May. (This is no small feat and began with an initial pool of close to 1,000 applicants from all over the world.)

This annual rite of passage for the staff is our own version of NCAA “March Madness.” Just like the top sixty-five seeds melt away to the sweet sixteen, elite eight, and final four, so too do the chances of hopeful social change agents who apply every year for a coveted Echoing Green Fellowship. They lay out their hopes and dreams for a better world to us with all the passion, determination and doggedness of any top-ranked forward. What a privilege it is each and every year to witness these social activists at their best (just as their counterparts—“physical activists”—do every day on the basketball court during this springtime tradition).

I’ve always been a sports bystander—uninterested in participating but interested in the broader lessons about life that sports reveal—triumph, loss, digging deep, preparation, clutch performances, execution and teamwork.  Last week, the country was introduced to Courtney Paris, an all-American center and senior at the University of Oklahoma who made a promise that if her team, the Sooners, did not win the national basketball championship, she would repay the cost of her scholarship. What makes Paris’s assurance even bolder was that Oklahoma is considered unlikely to win the national championship. (The Sooners did not advance past the Round of 16 in her 3 previous seasons.) I loved the boldness of Paris’ statement—she had the gall to think big; she set a stretch goal; she signaled that she was accountable—to her school, her team and herself; and she reminded herself and the rest of us that she was playing for something bigger than herself. That’s what we see each and every day here at Echoing Green with the social entrepreneurs with whom we work (as well as those who don’t make it through our process).

I promise that I’m going to put this “March Madness” analogy to bed forever, but I wanted to relay what I thought was a brilliant point made by Louisville’s head coach, Rick Pitino when asked about the pressure those young women and men must feel when they’re on the NCAA national stage. Coach Pitino made the distinction between stress and pressure. He said that stress is about not being ready for the moment. It’s when you’re not prepared; when you haven’t worked very hard. Pressure, on the other hand, is all about being prepared; it’s when you’re ready to perform at the highest level. He tells his players to have fun with these big life events because they’ve prepared hard to get to that moment of spring madness—enjoy the ride and whatever happens, we’re proud of you.

That’s how Echoing Green feels each year as we watch top talent emerge in our fellowship selection process. The emerging social entrepreneurs we fund have been preparing for this moment for a long time. We simply say thank you for allowing us to share in your journey. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.

Photo credit: StuSeeger